Welfare State Politics (BST300)
Today's welfare states are the product of long historical processes that were characterized by different political ideas, interests, and especially conflicts. A welfare state is a tool to protect citizens from hardship, but can also be used as a tool to maintain existing inequalities (e.g., between classes or genders). This course introduces students to the main patterns of welfare state development and change and the central political factors and processes that affect welfare state policymaking (including the role of class conflict, gender, war, immigration, technoligical change, and political institutions). The course also develops students' general skills and abilities in academic reading and writing and the use of social science methods for research.
Course description for study year 2024-2025. Please note that changes may occur.
Course code
BST300
Version
1
Credits (ECTS)
10
Semester tution start
Autumn
Number of semesters
1
Exam semester
Autumn
Language of instruction
English, Norwegian
Content
This course sheds light on the welfare state's ideological foundations and how the growth of different welfare state models can be explained with different ideological, political, and material factors. The course also considers current developments and their effects on the welfare state such as changing gender roles, automation, economic crises, and migration. The focus is always on the political processes that affect - or which are affected by - the welfare state and socioeconomic changes.
The course will be taught in English if exchange students wish to participante, and in Norwegian and English otherwise.
Learning outcome
After having taken this course, students will have the following knowledge, abilities, and general competencies:
Students should have knowledge about:
- The political history of the welfare state
- Theories of the Norwegian and Nordic welfare state model in comparison with other models
- Social science methods used to compare welfare states across countries
- Different political and social science perspectives on welfare states and their development
Students should be able to:
- Analyze variation in the organization of welfare state policy
- Explain central challenges related to the welfare state's economic foundations
- Discuss potential explanations for why welfare state institutions vary between countries and over time
In terms of general research skills, students should:
- Be able to formulate their own research questions or problems
- Be able to read and interpret research results based on both quantitative and qualitative methods
- Be able to independently apply social science methods
- Be able to write papers in line with common standards for academic writing
Required prerequisite knowledge
Recommended prerequisites
Exam
| Form of assessment | Weight | Duration | Marks | Aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester assignment | 1/1 | 1 Semesters | Letter grades |
Detailed explanations and additional material related to the main course assignment, the term paper, will be distributed at the beginning of the semester. The term paper can be written in Norwegian (NB/NY) or English. Assignments need to be written in their entirety by students themselves. Students may not use generative AI tools (ChatGPT or similar) to produce text or to revise and polish drafts prior to submission. AI tools can, however, be used in tasks outside of the writing process, for example to get help with coding or de-bugging.
Coursework requirements
Students have to pass a set of small mandatory assignments (pass/fail).
When participating, all mandatory submissions must be approved, regardless of whether they were approved in previous years.